


At Last I See The Light

by OTPGirl



Series: Tangled AU [1]
Category: Black Friday - Team StarKid
Genre: Fluffy, John is Rapunzel, Let them kiss, M/M, SOMFT, Somebody buy this man a hair brush, Tangled AU, Wilbur is Gothal, Xander is Eugine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-16
Updated: 2020-08-16
Packaged: 2021-03-05 19:34:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,017
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25930675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OTPGirl/pseuds/OTPGirl
Summary: Star and I spoke about Tangled McNamander AU and then they drew a pretty picture and so I had to do a fic!https://icantaert.tumblr.com/post/626581087390482432/ijustwantjohnmcnamaratobehappyok-said-rapunzel
Relationships: Xander Lee/John McNamara
Series: Tangled AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1881922
Comments: 5
Kudos: 16





	At Last I See The Light

John had been locked in that tower for as long as he can remember. Never allowed to step outside, never allowed to dream too far past his walls, never able to experience the way the world truly is, only able to know about it from his father’s stories. Stories that John had clung to as he grew up. Stories that he believed wholeheartedly. Stories that now seem to have been nothing but twisted lies told to keep him locked contently within those walls. 

The world isn’t this dark, cruel place that his father always made it out to be. It is actually wonderful. So full of brightness and warmth and laughter and kindness. He feels more at home out here than he ever did in the tower. A lot of that feeling has to do with the man sitting across from him. John’s gaze slid from where it had been trained on the sky to said man.

Xander. Xander Lee. 

John’s father would have a heart attack if he could see John with someone like Xander. A thief, a con artist, a man who looked out for no one but himself. At least, that’s what all the wanted posters encourage you to believe about him, but that’s not who Xander really is. 

Xander is kind and cares so deeply about those around him. That much is evident due to the fact that he’s helping John achieve his dream of seeing the strange lights in the sky. Sure, John has been extorting him a little bit, but still, Xander could have tried to take the crown from him by force. It wouldn’t have gone well for him, but that thought never seemed to cross the thief’s mind. That just further confirms to John that Xander is a kind person. 

Xander has been hurt so much in the past, and he’s had to hide that heart of his underneath layers upon layers of armor to keep it from happening again. Over the past two days - my god, has it really only been two days? He feels like he’s known Xander his entire life - John has seen that armor of cockyness and coldness stripped away piece by piece until Xander’s heart is all but laid bare in front of him. It shines brighter than any of the floating lights that John has seen from his window, and he almost feels like seeing Xander so open is the real prize at the end of his journey. 

John doesn’t know much about the world, but he does know his books cover to cover by heart. He knows what everything means. He knows why his heart races whenever Xander looks at him. He knows why he feels giddy around him, yet also strangely shy. He knows why he wants to run away and hide, but also stay right where he is. He knows why he wants to hear Xander’s laugh over and over again. He knows why he desperately wants to reach out and touch his hand, cup his face, anything, yet also feels like the slightest touch from Xander would burn him. 

He’s fallen for him. This thief has stolen his heart right out from underneath his nose, and John doesn’t want to get it back. 

John is in love, and it is the most beautiful thing that he has ever experienced in his life. 

Xander turns to look at him, and the world seems to freeze, leaving only the two of them still moving. Xander slowly reaches out and takes John’s hands in his own, squeezing them softly. The touch of Xander’s skin against his own feels like lightning flowing through his veins. He feels like he’s floating but oh-so-grounded at the same time. 

“I feel…” John starts, wanting to confess how hard he’s fallen for this man, but the words dry in his throat. What if Xander doesn’t feel the same way? What if Xander hates him? John doesn’t think that he would be able to handle that. John would much rather have stayed up in his tower than ever find out what that truly feels like. “I feel like I’m seeing the light for the first time in my life.” 

Xander smiles at him, and lets go of one of John’s hands. He brings his hand up to the side of John’s face and brushes a strand of hair that had fallen out of the long braid flowing down John’s back behind his ear. That small movement turns into Xander cupping the side of John’s face, and he can’t help but lean into it. 

“I’m so glad I met you, John. Being here, with you, it feels like this is where I have been meant to go my entire life. Like everything suddenly makes sense.” Xander’s voice is soft, yet it still manages to send shivers down John’s spine. This man always seems to know what to say, and that’s part of the reason that John loves him. 

Xander leans forward slowly, and John’s heart starts beating even faster, which he didn’t even think was possible. Xander is still moving, and oh, god, he’s going to kiss John. That realization crashes into John full-force and he can barely breathe. He leans forward as well, determined to meet Xander halfway, and he lets his eyes slip shut, just like people do in all of his books. 

John feels Xander freeze, mere inches between them. He can feel Xander’s breath dance across his cheek, and the hand that has been so lovingly cupping John’s face withdraws. John opens his eyes and sees Xander, staring at something over his shoulder with worry tugging at his handsome features. 

“Is everything alright, Xander?” Xander’s gaze snaps back to him, and he schools his expression into a blank one, doing nothing to calm John’s nerves. 

“Everything is fine. I just… I need to take care of something real quick.” He picks up the oars as he speaks and begins rowing them to the nearby shore. John’s not sure what’s going on, but he trusts Xander, and he knows that he won’t let anything bad happen.

**Author's Note:**

> Somft.   
> Art: https://icantaert.tumblr.com/post/626581087390482432/ijustwantjohnmcnamaratobehappyok-said-rapunzel  
> Come talk to me on Tumblr:   
> Ijustwantjohnmcnamaratobehappyok


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